Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The instructions provided with the device, as well as those that appear on screen, are not very accurate, so here are some tips to get everything set up. The battery comes separate from the device. Not a huge deal, but the instruction booklet provides no direction on how to install the battery. Here is how you do it: On the bottom right hand side of the device, where the black screen and orange base meet, there is a very small cut out in the orange base. Simply stick something sturdy, small, and sharp there to pry the base off (a fingernail may also work). Make sure you line up the three gold contacts on the battery with the similar looking contacts in the battery bed. **IMPORTANT** If you are traveling internationally, set up the device before you leave! The registration process asks you to provide a mobile phone number to activate the account, and (USA users) if you are already abroad, you may have to turn on your carrier connection to receive the SMS with the activation code. (There is also an option to activate via email.) Activating the device does not use any of your day passes, so don't worry. The instructions state you can connect to the SSID it is broadcasting and "open any browser" or "visit any website" in order to activate the device. I presume the behavior is supposed to mimic that of a hotel wireless system, which does not allow you to go access the internet before prompting you with a page for payment/setup. Unfortunately this did not work on the device; on my iPhone 5S running iOS9, I had to manually go to skyroam.com in the browser after connecting to the SSID -- it would not go to the activation site automatically as it suggested. Once I manually visited the page, however, activation went smoothly. Other tips: - When I first powered up the device, it asked if I wanted to upgrade the firmware. I said yes, and it took two or three times to work successfully. If the download and/or install fails, simply try again until it works. - As others have suggested, battery life can be improved by carrying around a separate USB-based charging device. This allows for all day data flow and works very well. - The SSID and password can be found under the orange cover next to the battery. You can also find it in the menu under WLAN info. - "Service info" on the menu shows some helpful information including how many days you have left on your balance as well as how many MB you have used - The device takes approximately 30 seconds to boot up. - Hold the power button for a few seconds to boot on and off; when the device is on, a single tap of the power button will turn on the screen. - An internal vibration mechanism offers some tactile feedback, but they overdo it by vibrating your hand each time you navigate to a menu item. Annoying! - The device is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, with a similar height as well. It's not as thin as you'd imagine, but not bad. - If you plan on using this device and service while on a road trip, you may find that your connection drops regularly while driving down the highway (as a passenger, of course!) I presume this is because it is bouncing between cell towers as your move, but it can be annoying. If you stay in place it works great.